USC coach Clay Helton gives explanation for offensive staff shakeup

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“I expressed the direction I wanted to go in,” USC head coach Clay Helton said of taking play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Tee Martin and firing offensive line coach Neil Callaway. “(A.D. Lynn Swann) supported that direction, as he has supported me throughout the season. But I felt no pressure at any point in time to make any change. It was something that had been in my heart.” (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — Clay Helton said the final realization came when he woke up Monday morning, when he determined he was going to reshuffle his offensive coaching staff.

It was hours before his weekly meeting with Athletic Director Lynn Swann. The men would speak in the aftermath of a loss to Arizona State that dropped USC’s record to .500, ending October with a second consecutive defeat and the Trojans out of first place in the Pac-12 South Division.

With the Trojans’ offense ranking near the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision, Helton, the third-year coach, settled on a pair of changes. He stripped offensive coordinator Tee Martin of play-calling duties and fired offensive line coach Neil Callaway.

A day later, Helton spoke for the first time about the staff shakeup, changes he hoped would invigorate his group.

“I have to do this for our team,” Helton said. “I think it’s going to progress our team moving forward.”

Helton will take over play-calling duties from Martin, who will remain on staff this season and stay involved in game planning, plus serve as the wide receivers coach.

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At several junctures Tuesday, Helton referenced an “itch” he had to return to his former role as the team’s play-caller, a responsibility he held in previous stints as offensive coordinator for the Trojans and as interim coach before he was elevated to the permanent role in late 2015.

“When I first took the job, I knew how big the job was at USC,” Helton said. “I wanted to be able to get comfortable in my own skin. Now being my third year in it, I know the groundwork, where everything lays, and feel extremely comfortable to lead an offense as well as a team.”

The abrupt changes, though, intensified speculation about Helton’s future as coach at USC. Though Helton in February signed a contract extension through 2023 on the heels of consecutive double-digit win seasons, including a Pac-12 title, the Trojans have struggled this fall. They’ve been bogged down by offensive troubles without departed star quarterback Sam Darnold, and enter the final month of the regular season without a winning record for the first time since 2001.

Helton maintained he was not pressured into making changes, nor were they prompted by Swann, a former All-American wide receiver for the Trojans in the 1970s.

“I expressed the direction I wanted to go in,” Helton said. “He supported that direction, as he has supported me throughout the season. But I felt no pressure at any point in time to make any change. It was something that had been in my heart.”

In an interview on USC’s “Trojans Live” radio show on Tuesday evening, Swann endorsed the staff changes and provided a vote of confidence for Helton, who is 31-14 as head coach, though only 11-10 without Darnold.

“I have confidence in Clay,” Swann said. “I think he’ll keep this team on track. He’ll get it back on track this week and we’ll continue to progress. We have a chance to finish out our season strong.”

Swann added, “It’s important to have patience.”

The possibility of Helton’s return as the offensive play-caller was finalized Monday, but one that was discussed earlier this season.

After the Trojans were held to minus-5 rushing yards in a loss at Texas in mid-September, Helton broached the possibility with Martin about calling the running plays. In that scenario, Martin would call only the passing plays.

Nothing was settled upon until this week, the coaches said.

“He’s been feeling this for a while,” Martin said. “It’s not like he just woke up one morning and decided this.”

Helton said Martin was “very supportive” of the decision.

Martin, speaking with reporters Tuesday evening following the team’s practice, did not hint at much frustration.

“As a competitor, you’ve been doing a job and felt like you’ve been doing a good job at what you’ve been doing, and just having it taken away, that’s tough,” Martin said. “But I’m here for the team and what’s best for the team and ultimately to support my head coach. He wanted to call the plays. I’ll continue to do my job as coordinating, helping him coordinate everything.”

Asked if the demotion would affect his future with the program, Martin said only, “Love USC.” Earlier Tuesday, Martin had removed references to USC in his Twitter profile.

Helton said he hoped to remain the offensive play-caller beyond this season, and he noted other Pac-12 head coaches who also held offensive and defensive play-calling duties, including Stanford’s David Shaw and Cal’s Justin Wilcox. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley and Texas coach Tom Herman also call offensive plays for their teams.

“I’m gonna see how it goes the next four games and would like to continue,” Helton said, “but I’ll always do what’s best for the team.”

Joey Kaufman is the USC beat writer for the Southern California News Group. Since joining the Orange County Register in 2015, he has also covered Major League Baseball and UCLA athletics. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors and Football Writers Association of America. Kaufman grew up in beautiful downtown Burbank.